BYU football coach Kalani Sitake said during his weekly press briefing Monday that he doesn’t want to see a good thing end.
He certainly wasn’t talking about Boise State’s four-game winning streak.
Rather, the Cougars’ leader the past seven seasons was referring to the football series between the Western rivals, a series that will seemingly end Saturday (5 pm, FS1 or FS2) at Albertsons Stadium because BYU is headed off to the Big 12 and most likely won’t have room for the Broncos on its future schedules.
“It is always a challenge every year. It is no different than playing Utah, or playing Utah State. It’s just a really similar feel. It will be really fun to play out there in Boise, at their stadium.” — BYU quarterback Jaren Hall
Boise State (6-2, 5-0 Mountain West) hasn’t lost since Sept. 23 and is a touchdown favorite over the backsliding Cougars (4-5), a point spread that doesn’t seem big enough considering BYU hasn ‘t won since Sept. 29 and hasn’t played well since Sept. 10, a 26-20 double-overtime win over Baylor.
“This is a rivalry game (and) we don’t know what the future holds (for another matchup), so it is a game that we are really excited to play, and an opponent that we are familiar with,” Sitake said. “…I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff and their team. I know a lot of players on that roster and I have tons of respect for them. … It is a unique and fun atmosphere.”
Most endings in Boise haven’t been fun for the Cougars, who have won just once on the blue rug — two years ago at empty Albertsons during COVID-19 when NFL-bound quarterback Zach Wilson engineered a 51-17 win. BYU lost 21-16 in 2018 when Wilson was sacked inside the 10-yard line in the final seconds, and 28-27 in 2016 when Taysom Hill got the Cougars in field goal range late but a potential game-winning goal attempt was blocked .
Aside from 2020, Albertsons has been a house of horrors for the Cougars — save their 2018 win over Western Michigan (49-18) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson calls a play in the huddle as BYU and Boise State play at Albertsons Stadium in Boise on Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. The Cougars will be back on the Blue Saturday when the teams meet in Boise.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
“Excited to get up to Boise and play this game. I know they have a really good team, and coach (Andy) Avalos has done a great job. They are on a winning streak right now, and we are on a slump,” Sitake said. “So something has gotta give this weekend. We feel good about our team, and our guys, and the focus they have.”
Apparently, the Broncos don’t want to see the series end, either. And who could blame them? They are 8-4 all-time against BYU, and upset the then-No. 10 Cougars last year 27-16 in Provo when BYU played giveaway with the football.
“It is always going to be a battle, and it is a game that we love playing because you come to college to play in these games,” Boise State defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson said in a news conference Monday. “I hope in years to come we can find a way to play them.”
The game will be televised by Fox Sports 2 (FS2), but could move to Fox Sports 1 (FS1) if a World Series game isn’t played Saturday.
Boise State’s Avalos is 1-0 against the Cougars as a coach, and also faced them when he was a BSU linebacker from 2000-04 and an assistant coach from 2012-18.
“It requires you to be your best every single day this week,” he said. “Whether we’re playing down there or we’re playing up here, this is always a game where the atmosphere in the stadium is electric.”
An announced crowd of 33,895 watched Boise State clobber Colorado State 49-10 last Saturday. Capacity is 36,387.
A sellout crowd of 63,470 watched the Broncos ruin BYU’s perfect season last year, as Boise State downed Hall and the Cougars 26-17 despite racking up only 312 yards. They could have that by halftime if the same BYU defense that was blown away by Arkansas, Liberty and ECU the past three weeks shows up on the Blue.
Hall threw for 302 yards and a touchdown in that one in his first game back from a rib injury.
“It is always an intense game. There is always history behind it. There is always grit on the field between both teams. It is always a good game. It’s a good atmosphere wherever you play, whether you are in Boise, or in Provo,” Hall said. “It is always a challenge, every year. It is no different than playing Utah, or playing Utah State. It’s just a really similar feel. It will be really fun to play out there in Boise, at their stadium.
Their fans are very passionate. They always come out to support and so it will be a good challenge for us.”
Boise State doesn’t have much to lose as it steps out of conference play in November; BYU needs to win two of its final three games to get bowl eligible, a tall task since it ends the season at Stanford.
“Well, I just really like playing this team. They are a really good team. They seem to bring out the best in us in crucial times,” Sitake said, referring to the 2019 game in Provo when BYU upset No. 14 Boise State 28-25 to snap a three-game losing streak and basically revive Sitake’s head coaching career.
“I think they have a good brand of football. I like their style. I like their coaches. I like their fans and so this is going to be a fun game for us,” Sitake said. “I am not the one that makes the scheduling. But they are a quality opponent, and it has been fun the years that I have been here as the coach to be able to interact with them, with their university, with their fan base and with their team. It has been an honor being on the field with them and if you are asking me, I don’t want to see a good thing end.”
Sitake said he hopes Boise State knows “how much we appreciate them (and their) allowing us to be on their schedule.”
Whether he will ever be able to say that again remains to be seen.
Cougars on the air
BYU (4-5)
at Boise State (6-2)
Saturday, 5 p.m
Albertson’s Stadium, Boise, Idaho
TV: FS1 or FS2
Radio: KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM
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